This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Liquid chromatography (LC) is a technique used to separate a sample into its individual parts. Liquid chromatography systems are large laboratory instruments with trained technicians and large, expensive separator columns. Components of a mixture are separated in a separator column based on each component's affinity for a mobile phase and a stationary phase. The mobile phase is a liquid with which the sample is mixed, used to transport the sample through the stationary phase. The stationary phase is an adsorbent solid material, such as beads, a matrix or other physical structure, arranged in the separator column, through which the mobile phase is passed. Chromatography based upon molecular polarity is effective because different components within a mixture are attracted to the adsorbent surface of the stationary phase with varying degrees depending on each components polarity and its unique structural characteristics, and its interaction with the mobile phase. The separation that is achieved using column chromatography is based on factors that are associated with the sample. A component that is more attracted to the stationary phase will migrate down the separator column at a slower rate than a component that has a higher affinity for the mobile phase. Also, the efficacy of the separation is dependent on the nature of the adsorbent solid used and the polarity of the mobile phase solvent. If the components are of different polarities and a mobile phase of a distinct polarity is passed through the separator column, one component will migrate through the separator column faster than the other. The separator columns are typically packed with beads with absorbent chemistry to induce separation. Because molecules of the same compound will move in groups, the compounds are separated into distinct bands within the separator column. This provides the ability of liquid chromatography (LC) to both separate and concentrate like compounds. If the components being separated are colored, their corresponding bands can be seen. Otherwise, as in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), the presence of the bands is detected using other instrumental analysis techniques such as UV-VIS spectroscopy. UV-VIS spectroscopy provides a means of detecting separation of constituents but does not identify the components. To determine the composition of each separated constituent, either colored separate components or reference analytes are required.